A/N: One-shot, my entry for Taragh McCarthy's Quote Competition .net/topic/44309/59925533/1/ . My quote was "Wake me up, I've been dreaming.". I hope I did a good job and that you like the short story that is the result of a very interesting competition! Enjoy and review, if you so wish! :)
Some Things Can Never Happen
The guests were getting anxious and his mother was about to have a nervous breakdown. He should thank Hermione for that later, after the wedding. Fred walked through the door, wondering how much of a mess she'd made and whether it could be fixed quickly. He ventured a look at her, veil hanging from the dishevelled remnants of frenchbraids, mascara running and Merlin, she was stunning! "Well, don't you look smashing! I hear Lamias are all the rage nowadays."he teased and refrained from mentioning that she had destroyed every single item in the room.
"Fred!"Hermione cried and ran to him, dragging along her wedding gown, which was damaged beyond recognition.
"Bloody hell, woman! What has gotten into you? Did you really do all this?"he asked her, fully aware that she had and could do even worse if she wanted to.
Hermione sobbed in response. He would have joked about it, had it not been the most heartbreaking sound he'd ever heard. It made him feel sick, it made him want to turn on his heel and run because whatever was causing it couldn't be good.
"Oh, Fred!"she uttered between sobs. "I have to tell you... It's very important that I tell you..."
"If it's about some accessory that doesn't match, I'm not sure I can do anything about it."he said, scratching the back of his head.
Hermione laughed, despite herself. "Ever the joker, aren't you? Thank God for you, Fred Weasley!"she said and remembering something, started to cry again.
"This conversation is going to be fruitless..."Fred remarked with a grin.
"Remember when you and George tried to attack Malfoy after he'd called me a 'filthy little Mudblood'?"she randomly asked.
"I remember."he said, not without some discomfort at the memory. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"That's when I fell in love with you!"Hermione exclaimed with a chagrined smile. "That was the moment, Fred!"
"You're not making much sense, m'love..."he admitted, shaking his head.
"And when you gave me the bruise remover? For my eye? Remember that?"she went on, disregarding his comment completely.
"Of course I remember! You asked me if it was safe... Look! Are your questions leading somewhere?"Fred said, growing agitated. "Not that I don't appreciate the chaos caused by your delay but I'm getting the feeling that you don't actually want to marry me!"
"Believe me, there is nothing I'd want more than that! I'm crazy about you, you see!"she told him in all honesty. "One more question. It will be the last one, I promise!"she said and braced herself for the next question. "Do you remember the explosion?"
"What explosion?"said Fred, quirking an eyebrow.
"Exactly..."Hermione whispered, hating herself for ever having asked.
"Hermione, what explosion are you on about?"he said, grabbing her arms to steady her trembling body. She placed a gentle hand on his chest and felt nothing. She was touching him but her senses were telling her that she wasn't.
"Fred, you died."she said calmly. "You died!"
"I'm standing right here!"Fred protested.
"You're not real!"Hermione said and turned her face away but he pulled it back, forcing her to look at him.
"Did someone hex you? Of course I'm real! Look at me!"he shouted.
She took his hands and placed them on her cheeks, closing her eyes with the hope that she could feel his skin on hers. Nothing. There was nothing. "Do you feel that?"she asked him.
"No..."Fred uttered in disbelief. He ran his hands over her hair, her face, her shoulders. He felt nothing. "How is this possible?"
"You're dead. You've been dead for a long time."she told him, opening her eyes to meet his painful gaze.
"This can't be happening!"he mumbled.
"Fred..."Hermione called his name with a voice which seemed too hazy to be real. "Wake me up, darling. I've been dreaming."she told him, knowing that since she didn't really want to wake up, he would have to do it for her. "I've been dreaming about how our life would be, if you were still alive and that's not healthy! I have to let you rest now and you have to do the same for me."
Fred shook his head a couple of times, as the truth of her words sank in. He felt weightless and wondered if he was actually transparent, like a ghost. Because he couldn't be just a dream; he felt real enough but not solid enough. The word "ethereal" popped into his thoughts and he chuckled nervously. "Hermione, I think we have both been dreaming."he said and gave her a light kiss on the lips. Then, he touched his forehead to hers and sighed deeply. "And what a dream it has been!"
Hermione kept her eyes shut. Her heart ached because she would soon open her eyes and wake up to find a living, breathing world waiting for her but Fred's eyes would remain closed. As the dream drifted away and she slowly slipped back into conciousness, she hoped that Fred would still be dreaming peacefully, blissfully unaware of the loneliness of cold marble and unlived lives.